Chapter 223

However, after observing several matches, Xiao Yan noticed no one used elixirs during combat; at most, they took healing elixirs only after being defeated to recover their injuries.

"Probably not allowed—if elixirs were permitted, it would just come down to who could afford the more expensive ones," Xiao Yan silently shook his head, yet his eyes showed no sign of discouragement or disappointment.

"Brother Xiao Yan will surely make it into the top five," Xun Er, since that day, had grown much bolder, snuggling close to Xiao Yan like a little bird clinging to its perch.

Xiao Yan sighed softly: "I have no trouble making the top five, but Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning finding a place among the top five is still difficult—if only elixirs were allowed."

Beside him, Mentor Ruolin cast him a sidelong glance and said coolly: "You still have time to worry about others? Don't grow careless. That Bai Shan who attacked you before, though he entered the Outer Court a year earlier than you, isn't weak—he's trained several Arcane-Rank High-Level Dou Techniques and is rumored to have defeated a Peak Great Dou Shi, even killed a Dou Spirit."

"Then there's Wu Hao, assigned to the Outer Court Enforcement Team—they face criminals from the Black Horn Region. Countless Great Dou Shi have fallen to his hands, even Dou Spirits. His strength is no small matter."

"That red-clad girl staring at you, Hu Jia, is the granddaughter of Hu Qian, Vice Dean of the Outer Court. She's the same age as you and Xun Er, her strength on par with Xun Er's, her talent unparalleled—no one in the Outer Court has shown such extraordinary talent in decades."

Hearing Mentor Ruolin's warning, Xiao Yan looked at her as she spoke confidently, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the abysmal teaching quality of Jia Nan Academy.

Xiao Yan didn't believe Hu Jia's strength matched Xun Er's—Xun Er, that kind-hearted girl, always fought evenly with everyone—but only Xiao Yan knew that when Xun Er truly unleashed her full power, her true strength might even surpass his own.

"Mentor Ruolin, rest assured—I have full confidence in defeating that Bai Shan, Wu Hao, and even that tomboy. The champion of this Outer Court selection must come from our Yellow Class Two," Xiao Yan reassured her, injecting a much-needed boost of morale.

The selection tournament proceeds one round per day; though only top students from each class may compete, since Outer Court students can study for four years, both Three-Year and Four-Year students participate, bringing the total number of competitors to a hundred.

Winners of the first round will be paired off; those who win twice automatically secure a spot in the top fifty, while losers who lose twice are eliminated from entering the Inner Court. The third round will determine the final twenty-five from those with one win and one loss.

The first to compete in the second round was Xiao Mei; interestingly, Xiao Yan was next after her—and this time, Xiao Yan's opponent was an Alchemist!

"Xiao Yan's opponent is Lu Mu? Hey, Yu Er, that's your guy," Xue Ni giggled, pressing her ample chest against Xiao Yu's arm.

Two years ago during enrollment, Xiao Yan had met Xue Ni—he remembered her clearly for her enormous assets.

"Your head, you mean? That guy's just daydreaming—he and I have nothing to do with each other, not even friends," Xiao Yu quickly denied it, glancing toward Xiao Yan, who sat ahead waiting for his turn.

Xue Ni grinned mischievously and loudly declared: "Heh, Lu Mu's been Yu Er's number one suitor since day one—he pretended to be a New Student and dragged her around campus for half a day. When Yu Er figured it out, she kicked him straight into the pond. But after that one kick, he just stuck to her like glue ever since."

Seeing Xiao Yan show no reaction, Xiao Yu furrowed her delicate brows and lightly kicked his back with her long, slender leg.

"Hey, I'm the Young Clan Leader, you know," Xiao Yan, fully aware she'd kicked him, turned irritably toward her.

"Hmph, what kind of Young Clan Leader are you? Someone's harassing someone from your clan, and you don't even teach them a lesson," Xiao Yu said, then immediately blushed, realizing how poorly it sounded.

Just as Xiao Mei was about to defeat her opponent, Xiao Yan sighed and slowly stood up, saying helplessly: "A one-hit wonder? How am I supposed to teach you a lesson?"

As Xiao Mei's Body Technique danced gracefully, she delivered a palm strike to her opponent's nape, knocking them unconscious. The referee shouted: "Match over! Winner: Xiao Mei!"

"Yay!! Brother Xiao Yan, I advanced!!" Xiao Mei, overwhelmed with joy, beamed brightly and waved at Xiao Yan.

Watching Xiao Mei bounce around like an excited little bunny, many male spectators who favored cute, petite types broke into silly grins.

Xiao Yan smiled and slowly waved back, then descended slowly from the spectator seats.

"Alchemist Lu Mu versus Yellow Class Two, Xiao Yan." As the referee's loud call echoed, the bustling Guang Chang fell momentarily silent, then countless eyes snapped toward Xiao Yan—filled with varied meanings, though hostility clearly dominated.

After all, Xiao Yan was surrounded by several beautiful girls—it was hard not to provoke envy. Especially that kiss, which had instantly turned him into the entire school's public enemy.

Though aware of Xiao Yan's strength, Mentor Ruolin couldn't help warning him: "Many are waiting for you to embarrass yourself. Lu Mu isn't like Xue Beng from yesterday—his strength ranks among the top ten in the entire Outer Court. As an Alchemist, he can control a powerful flame, making him extremely troublesome. Be careful."

"Brother Xiao Yan, go get 'em," Xun Er chirped playfully beside him.

Xiao Yan waved his hand—his worries were unnecessary, yet he felt deeply touched.

Moments after Xiao Yan entered the arena, a clear whistle pierced the air beyond the Guang Chang, followed by a blue figure slicing through the sky, landing in the arena with a light toe-touch on surrounding pillars, then flipping midair to land gracefully.

Watching this flashy entrance, Xiao Yan felt embarrassed for him.

As the blue figure appeared, the surrounding stands erupted into a tidal wave of cheers—clearly, many at Jia Nan Academy hoped Lu Mu would crush Xiao Yan, the newcomer who'd shown such overwhelming strength.

"This battle should finally force Xiao Yan to use all his tricks," Bai Shan murmured, watching the two with a cold smirk: "I want to see what right Xiao Yan has to be with Xun Er!"

"Fight, fight—better both end up half-dead. Then Xun Er won't be corrupted by Xiao Yan. Otherwise, I'll have to step in," muttered the red-clad girl from another section of the stands, watching today's most watched match with a sneer.

The blue-clad youth before Xiao Yan had loose hair falling carelessly, a lazy expression on his face, tall and upright. Though not as handsome as Bai Shan, he radiated an easygoing warmth—a harmless face that naturally lowered others' guard. No wonder Xiao Yu, with her sharp temperament, had been fooled by him on their first meeting.

"You're Xiao Yan, the Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan?" As Xiao Yan studied the blue-clad youth, Lu Mu smiled warmly and asked.

"Mm." Seeing this man didn't wear the same arrogant sneer as Bai Shan, Xiao Yan gave a slight nod.

"Heh, family, family! Don't worry, Brother Xiao Yan—I'll hold back during the match, won't let you get hurt. Otherwise, Yu Er'll get mad, and I'll be in trouble," Lu Mu grinned warmly, instantly acting like an old friend.

"Uh." Xiao Yan was speechless—this guy was a natural at familiarity. They'd just met, yet he'd already claimed they were close. Truly a talent.

Xiao Yan shook his head: "Then I'm sorry—I'm the Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, and we don't accept the weak."

Lu Mu froze. He was a Three-Star Great Dou Shi and an Alchemist—was he weak?

"Begin," the referee, unable to bear it any longer, waved his hand loudly.

"Lu Mu Senior Student, defeat Xiao Yan!"

"Show him the power of Jia Nan Academy!"

As the crowd's cheers rose in waves, Xiao Yan slowly raised his hand, curled his fingers into a flick, preparing to repeat his previous tactic.

Seeing Xiao Yan's move identical to yesterday's, Lu Mu's expression hardened. He drew a long sword, summoning a wisp of blue real flame from his palm, forming a Dou Qi armor around his body, and said gravely: "I have a Spiritual Flame too. Thinking you can beat me like you beat Xue Beng yesterday? Not going to work!"

Xiao Yan chuckled softly, shook his head, and said calmly: "It's all the same."

*Snap! * A red flame shot out like a bullet. The next second—*Boom! *—the Ten Beasts Spiritual Flame, compressed into a single point by Xiao Yan's Soul Force, exploded violently. This time, the compression was twice as intense as yesterday's.

Instantly, a sea of fire surged, completely engulfing the wide Arena Stage. Terrifying crimson flames licked toward the spectator seats.

"Barrier!"

*Hum! * The flames slammed into the transparent Barrier, casting a blood-red glow across the spectators' faces.

*Snap! * A charred, blackened figure crashed into the soft Barrier and collapsed unconscious.

Xiao Yan never turned to look at the explosion—he left the arena even before the flames had dissipated.

Only the stunned referee, academy elders, and Outer Court students who hadn't even finished shouting remained.

Those who had been cheering for Lu Mu now had faces flushed crimson by the glow of the Ten Beasts Spiritual Flame—as if Xiao Yan had slapped them red.

"See that?! That's our Young Clan Leader!" Xiao Ning leapt to his feet, roaring. For days he'd heard others boast about Bai Shan and Wu Hao's strength, claiming they were superior to Xiao Yan—he'd been bursting with frustration.

Beating a Nine-Star Dou Shi was luck—Xue Beng was just weak. Now? Even a Three-Star Great Dou Shi was crushed instantly!

"Young Clan Leader!!"

"Woo! Young Clan Leader is awesome!"

"Xiao Yan's cousin is impressive."

At this moment, the only sounds were the Xiao Clan members, hitting long balloon sticks with "pang pang" noises, as excited as if they had defeated Lu Mu.

Xiao Yan pressed his hand down to signal them to quiet down, then said slowly: "It's nothing. He relied on elixirs to break through—his battle qi is hollow and weak. I just took advantage of that."

He then turned to Xiao Yu and asked: "Satisfied?"

"Hmph, fine, I'll give you that," Xiao Yu snorted, turning her head away—but a smile had already curled at her lips.

At this moment, Bai Shan's face had long since shifted from its initial arrogance to a grim expression. Same move. Same instant defeat.

Although Lu Mu indeed, as Xiao Yan said, relied on elixirs and thus lacked solid battle qi, instantly defeating Lu Mu was still no easy feat for him.

"Old Man Fire, what do you think? Can you tell what kind of flame Xiao Yan's blood-red fire is?" On the central seat, Vice Dean Hu Qian smiled warmly at the silent old man to his left.

"Sigh, you already know Xiao Yan's dossier from Jia Ma Empire—why ask again?" Elder Fire glanced at Hu Qian. When Xiao Yan returned to Jia Nan Academy months ago, they had even held a special meeting just for him.

Back then, the senior staff of the Outer Court already knew Xiao Yan had won the overall championship of the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemist Convention, was confirmed to possess a Heavenly Flame (Spiritual Flame), and had defeated Nalan Yanran, the Young Sect Master of Yun Lan Sect.

So for this Inner Court Selection Exam, these Outer Court seniors had come solely to watch Xiao Yan. They all knew he was skilled at Spirit Refining and strong in combat—but they didn't know exactly how strong he was.

"This round: Yellow Class Two's Xiao Yan wins!" Only now did the referee snap back to attention. After confirming Lu Mu was merely unconscious with no life threat, he announced loudly once more.

The following matches gradually revealed the true strength of the Outer Court—those who won two consecutive matches were no pushovers.

Xun Er, Xiao Ning, and Xiao Yu needed no mention—their cultivation realms completely crushed their opponents, and they won two straight without doubt.

Xiao Meng had good luck—he faced an opponent only one star higher in cultivation, and ultimately defeated him effortlessly with a higher-grade Cultivation Method and Dou Technique.

"Xiao Yueliang is unlucky—he drew a Second-Star Great Battle Master..."

In the arena, Xiao Yueliang struggled desperately, relying on the Mysterious Rank High Grade Dou Technique and Cultivation Method taught by Xiao Yan, even landing occasional counterattacks.

But his opponent was a Great Battle Master—his entire battle qi formed armor that nullified attacks, and his "take damage to deal damage" style pushed Xiao Yueliang into a disadvantage.

Mentor Ruolin shook her head sadly: "Bad luck. If he'd drawn a weaker opponent, he might've won two straight and entered the top fifty."

Random draws still depend on luck—like Lu Mu, who was clearly top ten in strength, yet drew Xiao Yan in the second round and was thrown into the Failure Group.

The opponent Xiao Yueliang faced was even stronger than the Alchemist Lu Mu.

Watching the scene, Xiao Yan shook his head. If Xiao Yueliang had reached Peak Battle Master or perfected his Dou Technique, he might still have had a chance to win.

"Only four months—achieving minor mastery of a Xuan Jie High Grade Dou Technique is already difficult," Xun Er whispered soothingly.

"Exactly! Losing once isn't the end—there's still the third round. Xiao Yueliang can still enter the Inner Court," Xiao Yu nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened, and a knowing smile appeared. "How could a Xiao Clan member fall so easily?"

"Use the Secret Technique," Xiao Yan sent a Soul Resonance message to Xiao Yueliang in the arena.

Hearing the Young Clan Leader's message, Xiao Yueliang sighed inwardly, regretting his low cultivation and having to rely on external power to defeat his opponent.

"Hahaha, victory is mine!" Taking advantage of Xiao Yueliang's momentary distraction, he punched him squarely in the face.

*Whoosh! * Suddenly, a blood-red flame burst from Xiao Yueliang's body, and his spiritual pressure surged upward in stages.

"Huh? Is that a Secret Technique?!" Vice Dean Hu Qian frowned, uncertain.

"Secret Technique? Pfft. Xiao Yan planted a bit of Spiritual Flame inside Xiao Yueliang. You can call it a Secret Technique if you want—after all, Secret Techniques work by activating some inner energy to boost power."

It was the same flame as Xiao Yan's.

*Roar!! * Xiao Yueliang now seemed insane—his eyes turned crimson, his muscles bulged and swelled. He grabbed his opponent and hurled him to the ground.

The suddenly ferocious Xiao Yueliang caught his opponent completely off guard. Each punch and kick struck with brutal force. After being strengthened by the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame, his opponent's battle qi armor could no longer block Xiao Yueliang's attacks.

In the end, Xiao Yueliang won by throwing his opponent out of the arena.

Mentor Ruolin stared at Xiao Yan, who was healing Xiao Yueliang, still stunned. All members of the Xiao Clan had entered the top fifty—all would enter the Inner Court!!

Yellow Class Two had become famous.

The next day, twenty-five competitors advanced in the Inner Court Selection Exam, twenty-five were eliminated; the remaining fifty would compete tomorrow to determine the final twenty-five spots for the Inner Court.

Xiao Yan and the others naturally didn't need to watch—they effectively had a day off.

From this day on, Xiao Yan—or rather, the name of the Xiao Clan—began spreading throughout the entire academy. Even those jealous of Xiao Yan, those who doubted Xun Er's judgment, gradually fell silent.

On the fourth day, all fifty who advanced to the Inner Court gathered on the Guang Chang for the final round to compete for the top five, vying for access to the Library Pavilion.

When Xiao Yan and the others arrived outside the grand plaza, they stared at the endless human line blocking the entrance, speechless. Only through Mentor Ruolin's connections did they manage to enter through a heavily guarded passage.

Sitting on his chair, Xiao Yan quietly chatted with Xun Er beside him, then suddenly fell silent, turning his gaze toward a special passage in the plaza. There, Bai Shan—surrounded by a crowd like stars around the moon—was staring this way. Seeing Xiao Yan's gaze, a cold smirk appeared on his handsome face. His lips moved slightly; though no sound came out, Xiao Yan clearly read his words.

"I will strip you of your dignity today!"

Xiao Yan merely glanced once and ignored him. If words alone could do it, he'd say he intended to become a Battle Emperor.

"You're Xiao Yan? Dare you fight me!" Just as Xiao Yan was about to speak to Xun Er, another person approached.

Xiao Yan looked—he remembered this man was called Wu Hao, a Blood Asura of the Outer Court Enforcement Team, whose entire skillset was forged for killing, a murderer with countless lives, his body radiating blood qi like a dragon, thick with the stench of blood.

He was also said to be one of Xun Er's suitors.

"I—" Xiao Yan hadn't even finished speaking when another voice came from nearby.

"Wu Hao, get lost! Xun Er is my woman—and I'll be the one to defeat this Xiao Yan!" A girl in red stood with hands on hips, speaking boldly.

Little Enchantress Hu Jia—Xiao Yan had heard her name during the academy's enrollment.

Wu Hao ignored the Little Enchantress, his eyes locking onto Xiao Yan with sharp battle intention.

Xiao Yan turned to look at Xun Er beside him and helplessly shrugged. "Xun Er, you really are irresistible to everyone."

Xun Er glanced at Xiao Yan's teasing face. "Just because I'm beautiful isn't my fault!"

(End of Chapter)